Ben Stokes' record-breaking England show no sign of letting up after first-Test victory

• New Zealand vs England, first Test - full scorecard

By Nick Hoult, in Mount Maunganui

This was England’s first win in New Zealand since James Anderson and Stuart Broad were first paired together in Wellington 15 years ago.

You can understand why Ben Stokes did not want to contemplate life post-'Branderson' after they shared 12 wickets in the 10th win for the new regime. Broad gave New Zealand nightmares in the dark on Saturday night and Anderson wrapped it all up in 100 minutes of play on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon when England supporters spread their blankets on the ground with most still rubbing their eyes in disbelief over what they are seeing.

They witnessed Stokes becoming the quickest England captain to 10 Test wins and the joint fastest of all time from 12 games (including standing in for Root in 2020) with Lindsay Hassett, who inherited the Australia team from Don Bradman at the end of the Forties. Stokes was dealt a less kind hand of one win in 17.

It was also England’s sixth Test win in a row, the first time that has happened for them since 2010, a run back then that included four wins over Bangladesh. His team also broke their hoodoo in overseas day-night Tests, winning their first in five attempts.

Despite England beating New Zealand by 267 runs, their captain Tim Southee declined to describe it as a ‘gulf’ between the sides. Four defeats in a row to England (following the 3-0 series result last summer) suggests otherwise.

Joe Root presented Brendon McCullum with a Bazball badge during this game, poking fun at the coach’s hatred of the term – but it is the talk of cricket and other teams need to quickly work out a way of combatting the approach.

New Zealand are no closer after four attempts and will be forced into changes in Wellington. England are getting into the heads of their opponents. The best teams always do. The nighthawk nonsense is a bit like Shane Warne’s pre-Ashes talk of magical new deliveries that never existed. Like then, the mindgames worked. On Saturday night New Zealand allowed a Broad skier to land between keeper and bowler in a moment of panic that summed up how they had been steamrolled.

England needed only 100 minutes to knock over the last five wickets – Anderson wiping away the tail to finish with better figures, four for 18, than his mate Broad, who took four for 49.

They had the best bowling conditions of the match but they utilised them better than New Zealand, who were 37 for three and 63 for five when they batted under the lights.

Anderson’s bowling average after seven wickets in this game is now lower than at any stage in his career for 20 years. Broad bowled his best new-ball spell since the 2015 Ashes. At times both chased lost causes to the boundary, giving everything.

Stokes described them as an inspiration but it is a two way street. Both played in pink-ball defeats in Adelaide on the last two Ashes tours where they were conservative with their lengths and infuriated Joe Root. Now they buy in because Stokes brooks no argument, but in a clever way by knowing how his players tick. His weapon is the carrot, not the stick (so far).

The performance vindicated McCullum’s preparations for the series that concentrated on galvanising the players and cementing the culture and mentality of the squad. The week of golf in Queenstown, the half-hearted warm-up game and then cancelling the last practice match so the players could go and watch his horse could have backfired, but instead it was New Zealand that looked short of a gallop.

The relaxed environment is deeper than having a laugh. Practice may be optional but all turn up, even the quick bowlers who may graze around for an hour but want to be seen joining in.

The one player struggling is Zak Crawley but whereas on the last Ashes tour the other players would have been talking about him, now they are backing him with an arm around the shoulder, telling him he is doing a job for the team by setting the tone with an aggressive approach. Stokes made a point of it too, mentioning in his press conference England were 79 for two when they batted under the lights, Crawley with 28 and six fours.

McCullum does not take failures in isolation either as long as a player is playing for the team. He patted Root on the back when he was caught at slip in the first innings playing a reverse scoop and told him to do it again. Root went out and scored 57, only his second fifty in 11 innings.

Harry Brook was man of the match for twice dominating the bowling with 89 in the first innings that enabled Stokes to declare and stick New Zealand in to bat in the twilight. His second half-century did a similar job but the batting was a team performance. In the past England have leant on the runs of one man, Root or Stokes. Now they get by when those two do not perform.

Stokes gave Jack Leach a boost bowling him from the start and he took the first wicket, Michael Bracewell chipping to short midwicket. Broad was a bit stiff legged after his 10 over spell on Saturday night but Anderson was fresher, and nine balls later he removed Scott Kuggeleijn bowled and Southee caught at slip. Daryl Mitchell’s fifty was a crumb of pride for New Zealand but Anderson came back to finish it off bowling last man Blair Tickner after a stand of almost an hour.

The series moves to the Basin Reserve and with an extra day off Broad and Anderson have increased the chances of making a return to where it all started which would be a fitting way to end what is surely their last winter together.

New Zealand vs England, first Test day four: as it happened

03:01 AM

Ben Stokes on England's first win in NZ since 2008

02:57 AM

Tim Southee reacts to a thumping loss

02:55 AM

Harry Brook gets player of the match for his two 50s

02:53 AM

Stokes's fine record as captain continues

11 Test and 11 times England have taken 20 wickets.

This little nugget from Nick Hoult is interesting too:  "Stokes now sits alongside Australia captain Lindsay Hassett as the quickest captain to 10 wins (12 games), which includes the one-off as a stand-in for Joe Root in 2020."

02:50 AM

England bowling figures for this innings

Anderson 10.3 – 3 – 18 – 4 (1.71)
Broad 15 – 5 – 49 – 4 (3.26)
Robinson 8 – 0 – 34 – 1 (4.25)
Leach 11 – 4 – 25 – 1 (2.27)
Root 1 – 1 – 0 – 0 (0.0)

02:46 AM

RESULT: ENG (325/9dec and 274) beat NZ (306 and 126) by 267 runs

A thoroughly deserved win for England. Fairly even after the first innings scores and similar after two days but it was yesterday where England went for the jugular and put the result almost out of the reach of the hosts. Broad was excellent and Anderson finished off the job today. A pretty meek surrender bar the final wicket partnership which showed a bit of fight.

England lead the two-Test series 1-0. 

02:42 AM

WICKET! Tickner b Anderson 8

Anderson beats the outside edge as Tickner hops back and plays inside the line, the ball then hitting the top of off-stump. That's that then. Four wickets for Anderson, all today. A decent effort from Tickner and Mitchell but far too much for them to do.

FOW 126ao

02:40 AM

OVER 45: NZ 126/9 (Mitchell 59 Tickner 8)

Mitchell gets four with an uppish shot through backward point. A bit of a slice, a full wide one it was but he got more than enough on it and the field was empty there so fair enough really.

A delay as they change the ball. England still search for that elusive final wicket, as the partnership reaches 35 runs after 10 overs. I guess that's not all that elusive, but in the context of the innings it is.

02:33 AM

OVER 44: NZ 122/9 (Mitchell 53 Tickner 8)

James Anderson returns for his 10th over. Tickner tries to sway away from a short one, but turns his back on it and it loops up off his forearm and to leg slip. Not an appeal at all, really. Looks painful that, but he wears it well. Anderson continues with the short stuff and Tickner is happy to see the end of the over you'd imagine.

NZ might get to tea here. That said, do they play the extra half an hour because they are nine down? I'm not sure. It might not get to that. Probably another six overs before then.

02:27 AM

OVER 43: NZ 122/9 (Mitchell 53 Tickner 8)

Mitchell plays a couple of handsome pulls to the fielder at deep square, but turns down the chance to get to 50 both times. No mistake on the fifth ball, though, as he times it well enough for it to reach the boundary for four. He moves to a well-deserved fifty off 94 balls, by far the best batting performance by a NZ batsman in this innings. Well played. In vain, but well played nonetheless.

02:23 AM

OVER 42: NZ 118/9 (Mitchell 49 Tickner 8)

Leach continues with men around the bat for Tickner. Pushes one through a bit but Tickner is equal to it, going back and playing in front of the stumps. He turns down a single off the fifth ball of the over, and then it becomes a maiden –  Leach's fourth of his 11 overs.

02:20 AM

OVER 41: NZ 118/9 (Mitchell 49 Tickner 8)

Broad mixing up his pace and lengths here, not afraid for the odd slower ball yorker. Mitchell sees this one, though, and punches down the ground for two runs. Turns down a single to keep strike. He pulls for two more towards midwicket, not really timing it.

He follows that up with a pull that he does time, moving back and pinging it off the bat to the deep midwicket boundary for four! He moves to 49...

02:15 AM

OVER 40: NZ 110/9 (Mitchell 41 Tickner 8)

Six men around the bat for Jack Leach as Tickner faces. It's a maiden but fairly well played by the Kiwi batsman.

02:11 AM

OVER 39: NZ 110/9 (Mitchell 41 Tickner 8)

Broad continues in his search for a fifth wicket of the innings. If he were to get it it'd be his 20th in 160 Tests. I thought it'd be more after just looking that up. Just four runs to Mitchell in the over as he shovels one down off his pads behind square. A bit much to say Mitchell is frustrating England again at this point...

02:05 AM

OVER 38: NZ 106/9 (Mitchell 37 Tickner 8)

Mitchell launches Leach over long off for his second six (may as well) of the day and then picks up a single off the fifth ball. NZ avoid the ignominy of being bowled out for under 100.

That will be drinks. Four wickets in the first hour for England. 

02:00 AM

OVER 37: NZ 99/9 (Mitchell 30 Tickner 8)

Broad's first over back is not his best. Mind you, his first couple were not red hot yesterday, either. Tickner gets a thick outside edge past the slip cordon, no gully in place but it'd have been close to him were he there. Instead, it's four and Tickner is off the mark.

There's four more off the final ball with a more conventional drive past mid-off. Well, if a mid-on was in place, which it isn't. Full and wide from Broad and that's a nice shot as it rolls just into the boundary rope.

01:56 AM

OVER 36: NZ 91/9 (Mitchell 30 Tickner 0)

A Jack Leach maiden... Stuart Broad will return for the next over.

01:52 AM

OVER 35: NZ 91/9 (Mitchell 30 Tickner 0)

Tickner blocks Anderson's finall ball. 3-18 off nine overs for Anderson now. All of England's front-line bowlers have at least a wicket. No overs from Stokes and just the one from Root.

01:50 AM

WICKET! Wagner c Foakes b Anderson 9

There have not really been many alarms for NZ since the last wicket. Again, the pitch is still good.

Aaand, just as I type that Anderson picks up his third of the day! Wagner chases a wide-ish, full one, plays it hard and edges it behind. Ben Foakes moves to his left to take the catch.

England on the verge of first Test victory and their first Test victory in New Zealand since 2008.

FOW 91/9

01:46 AM

OVER 34: NZ 89/8 (Mitchell 29 Wagner 8)

Mitchell gets out the long handle to Leach, advancing down the pitch with a shuffle and then launching it over the long on boundary for six! Those are the only runs from the over.

01:43 AM

OVER 33: NZ 83/8 (Mitchell 23 Wagner 8)

Anderson dishing out some short stuff to the short stuff merchant Wagner. Anderson gets one to beat his bat and arm and hitting him just below the shoulder as he failed to evade it. Anderson goes over the wicket to Wagner, but a short one sits up and he cuts behind square for four, beating the field. Nice shot.

An inside edge onto pads, I think, ends the over. A brief shout but more an "oh, that was close" rather than a "how is that?" to the umpire. Would have pitched outside leg stump, too.

01:39 AM

OVER 32: NZ 79/8 (Mitchell 23 Wagner 4)

England have not been at their best for this Test but they have been good enough and their opponents, well, just haven't. It was all fairly even going into yesterday but the hosts were ragged with the ball and then collapsed by virtue of the excellent Broad. Maiden No 1 for Leach.

01:35 AM

OVER 31: NZ 79/8 (Mitchell 23 Wagner 4)

Wagner gets a couple with an aerial punch down the ground. Would have been catchable for a close in mid on but there isn't one there.

Here's an interesting Anderson stat from ESPNCricInfo's Andrew Miller:

01:32 AM

OVER 30: NZ 76/8 (Mitchell 22 Wagner 2)

No demons in the pitch or anything like that. Mitchell picks up a single off the fifth ball, leaving Wagner just one to face. He plays a forward defensive and sees off the danger.

01:30 AM

OVER 29: NZ 75/8 (Mitchell 21 Wagner 2)

Anderson would have preferred to be bowling at Wagner for his hat-trick ball, but he is not. It's not the best ball first up, Mitchell survives and defends. Three runs off the rest of the over with Wagner off the mark with a two.

01:24 AM

OVER 28: NZ 72/8 (Mitchell 20 Wagner 0)

The Barmy Army trumpeter greets Wagner's arrival at the crease with a quick blast of 'Ride of the Valkyries'. Just a single to DJ Mitchell off Leach's latest over. Anderson to return for his hat-trick attempt.

01:21 AM

OVER 27: NZ 71/8 (Mitchell 19 Wagner 0)

Well, I've now removed the target of 394 from the top of these updates because well, what's the point at this stage? NZ lose three quick wickets and will do well to get this past the first hour, never mind into a second session.

01:20 AM

WICKET! Southee c Root b Anderson 0

Two in the over! Captain Southee follows a ball outside off, outside edging it fairly tamely to slip, where Root takes a simple catch.

NZ eight down now and Anderson on a hat-trick, he'll have to wait, though.

FOW 71/8

01:17 AM

WICKET! Kuggeleijn LBW b Anderson 2

Full, swinging in, hits the pads and up goes the finger immediately!

The batsman reviews... but this looks as out as it is possible to be.

Yep, impact in line and hitting middle stump about 80 per cent of the way up. NZ definitely in the "collapsing without much fight" category at the moment.

250 wickets overseas for James Anderson, that is.

FOW 71/7

01:12 AM

OVER 26: NZ 67/6 (Mitchell 17 Kuggeleijn) – target 394

Leach ends his wicket-taking over with a beautiful ball that beats the outside edge of the new man Scott Kuggeleijn. Pitched on probably fourth stump, gripped and beat the outside edge.

Looks like the umpires are checking for a stumping here, though...

Kuggeleijn did have his back foot off the ground momentarily, but it's down in time before Foakes has the bails off.

01:11 AM

WICKET: Bracewell c Brook b Leach 25

Mitchell punches one off the back foot, firmly for a single. That brings Bracewell onto strike, with Leach spinning it into the left-hander's pads with men in close for the deflected inside edge.

Leach doesn't need anything so marginal to get the first wicket of the day, though as Bracewell loops one up to midwicket to take a very easy catch.

He went back and just dollied it in the air. An easier catch you could not want. A bit of turn and a bit of bounce but that is a poor dismissal.

FOW 68/6

01:07 AM

OVER 25: NZ 67/5 (Mitchell 17 Bracewell 25) – target 394

Anderson comes around the wicket to the left-handed Bracewell and from quite wide of the crease, too. It's a decent first over from him, a maiden, mostly forcing Bracewell to play.

01:03 AM

OVER 24: NZ 67/5 (Mitchell 17 Bracewell 25) – target 394

Leach tosses one up second ball, a bit too full really and Mitchell gets to the pitch and drives to the long-off boundary for four, beating a diving Duckett. Those are the only runs from the over.

It'll be James Anderson to return for his fourth over next up. Didn't get much action last night when Broad was ripping through the New Zealand top order.

01:00 AM

Right, we're nearly ready to get going

Looks like MJ Leach will start the day. England require five wickets, NZ 331 runs.

12:52 AM

James Anderson speaks before play

On the longevity of his career and Broad's:

On breaking McGrath and Warne's record:

12:42 AM

How long will it take England today?

They will want it done in the first session, but it doesn't really matter too much as long as they get it done. That said, it'd be some task to get it to a final session for New Zealand.

The conditions look pretty decent at the Bay Oval, sunny with a few clouds and a slight breeze. Sometimes it works in a team's favour when they are so far away from victory. But then again sometimes they just collapse.

12:30 AM

How reborn Stuart Broad and James Anderson stack up against the greatest bowling duos of all time

Pair took 1,002nd Test wicket when playing together when Broad dismissed Devon Conway, eclipsing the great Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Read the full piece from Scyld Berry here. 

12:17 AM

Broad was fantastic yesterday

Four wickets, all bowled, to pretty much put NZ out of the game.

12:03 AM

Good morning (just)

Another day and yet more reasons to exclaim that James Anderson and Stuart Broad are 'pretty decent'. 'Pretty decent' being a huge understatement, of course, and there being little need to hunt for further reasons to suggest the blatantly obvious.

Broad's wicket of Devon Conway in the last session of day three, took his and Anderson's wicket tally as a pair (playing in the same Tests) to 1,002 and past Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath as Test cricket's most successful bowling partnership. If that is testament to the pair's longevity then Broad's latest brilliant spell - that saw him take out New Zealand's top order with four for 21 in 10 overs - is testament to the fact that both he and Anderson still have more than what it takes to scare the world's best batsmen.

If they are to defy age and take the new ball against Australia this summer - many expect them to - it will be because they are England's best hope of early wickets rather than due to misguided sentimentality.  

Broad's four wickets helped England reduce the hosts to 63 for five, chasing an unlikely 394 for victory, and underlined that he is far from a spent force as a new-ball Test bowler. When play resumes later on many expect him to take his 20th Test five-fer, and after the fourth day he was able to reflect on making history.

"To go past two heroes of mine growing up (Warne and McGrath) - certainly we're not in their category, the quality of those two - but to be up there with Jimmy [Anderson], I feel very lucky," he said on BT Sport. "I'm very blessed to be in the same era as him."

Broad has been written off many times but seems to have a new lease of life under the regime of Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes. Unless New Zealand manage a quite spectacular escape from 331 behind, England will take their record under the pair to 10 wins from 11 matches.

And Broad says it's great to be part of.

"It's completely unrecognisable. It's a bit of a shame there's not a fly-on-the-wall documentary on it because it's been amazing to be part of," he said. "I'm so lucky to see it first hand. Every day Baz (McCullum) walks in he's like 'what a job this is. What a gig I've got'.

"Everything is positive, it's not fake. Honestly, since June I can't remember hearing a negative word in the dressing room. It's phenomenal to watch up close, how Baz and Stokesy go about their business."

Stay here for all the action from Mount Maunganui with play due to get under way at 1am.